Like Magic
by Celestia0909
Summary: [L/J] [MUGGLE AU] Lily and James take a cool dip in a creek on a hot summer's in the South of France, only for them to find out their feelings aren't so misguided


The air is heavy as the sun beats down on them oppressively while they cycle into town. There are but a handful of things he loves about summer, and the peacefulness of the French countryside is one of them.

James turns to glance at _her_, and his heart beats faster as the wind blows her dark red hair behind her, the front of her straw hat flipping up and down as she cycles freely down the gentle slope towards the creek. Her legs are stretched out on either side of the bike, as she turns back to smile at him.

He almost forgets how to breathe when she does, and not for the first time that summer does he wonder what it would feel like to kiss her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asks as she comes to a slow and steady stop.

James shakes his head, a secret smile on his face. "It's nothing."

She frowns, she knows he's hiding something from her, and it startles him that she can already see right through him. After all, they'd only known one another _properly_ for four weeks.

His body feels warm and languid, and he knows he is inching closer to dangerous territory the longer he lets himself indulge in Lily's presence, or lets his thoughts wander too far. He smiles as he watches her hands skimming along the wheat stalks on either side of the dusty road, swaying to and fro from the hot summer breeze. Everything she does fascinates him now, and he wonders if this is what it's supposed to feel like when you're in love.

The ride to the creek is short, and James winks at his companion as he rushes towards the cool blue water and jumps in, not even bothering to remove his clothes. The cold water seeps into his bones almost immediately, and James sighs, watching as Lily skids to a stop next to his bike.

"You're crazy!" Her voice is sweet like honey, flowing in and out of his mind like a siren's call.

Maybe she was right, maybe he _was_ crazy, but only because of – and _about_ –her.

Ever since she had stepped out of a dodgy looking car in his driveway, Lily had captured every bit of his attention and invaded the very deepest corners of his mind. All he could think or speak about was _her_. He was completely obsessed, and sometimes he wondered if it was healthy for him to be so enamoured by her.

"Come off it, Lily, when was the last time you ever did anything spontaneous!" James yells back as he wades in the water, attempting to goad her into joining him.

She stays on her bike, one foot on the ground as she frowns. She shakes her head, and James can only just make out her smile as she steps away from the bike and removes her hat. He thinks she's going to run in after that, but she doesn't and instead begins to remove her singlet, shorts, and plimsolls - leaving her in nothing but her knickers. He has to look away, lest his hormones get the better of him, and only looks back up when the water splashes.

Red is the first thing that comes to mind as she dives into the water; red hair, red lips, and two thin red bra straps. When she emerges, her skin is kissed golden and pink by the sun as she stops in front of him; she's his very own siren.

"You're a bad influence on me," she teases, her voice low as she pushes her hair out of her face.

She's magnificent really, he thinks. She's probably the most magnificent person he's ever laid eyes on, and his body feels warm again as she gives him a radiant smile. A strong gust of wind disturbs the water around them, and James inhales sharply as the air shifts around them.

He is keenly aware of how close they are, and although they had been closer to one another before, this somehow felt different. He can't help but feel he is on the precipice of something monumental, and he knows that things will be different when they leave the creek; for the better he hopes.

He doesn't know who makes the first move, but one moment they're staring at one another, and the next their lips meet. It is an eager, forceful, and somewhat sloppy meshing of their mouths; and James almost can't believe that it's finally happening as his tongue sweeps against hers in swift – albeit tentative – strokes.

Her hands are in his hair, tangling in the scruffy mess that he seldom brushes. He couldn't even _feel_ the coolness of the water anymore as heat engulfs his body.

He had found himself staring at her lips for days, had dreamt of what it would feel like to kiss her, and is glad that his thoughts were nothing compared to the real thing. He is breathless as they pull away from one another, chests heaving and faces flushed.

The swim back to the grassy banks of the creek is quiet as James tries to comprehend what just happened. All this time, he had thought she wasn't interested in him that way, only to find out – if that kiss was anything to go by – that she is probably just as mad about him as he is about her.

He watches as she shoves her shorts back on and joins him as he lays on the grass and watches the canopies of the trees sway in the wind.

"James?"

"Yeah, Lily?"

"I think I might love you."

He had never believed in the things his mum and dad said about soulmates from Plato's Symposium, but perhaps now he did. As her fingers tangle with his, James realises what the feeling in his body actually is. It was actually a million tiny little things that had led him here, that when you added them all up meant that they are somehow supposed to be together.

It was inevitable, he had known it, and so had she — known it from the moment she'd stepped onto the driveway.

Everything, from the first time they'd looked at one another, to the first time he'd touched her. It was like coming home, and it was like his soul recognised that she was a kindred spirit.

It was like magic, really.

"Lily?"

"Yeah, James?"

"I think I might love you too."

* * *

**! MUGGLE AU**

**WORD COUNT: 1082**

**A/N WORD COUNT: 18**

* * *

**The Houses Competition, Round 5**

House: Lions

Category: Drabble

Subject: History of Magic

Prompt/s: [Event] First kiss


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